‘Let Him Go’
Kevin Costner and Diane Lane reunite as husband and wife in writer & director Thomas Bezucha’s grim but absorbing, modern-day, Gothic western “Let Him Go” (***1/2 OUT OF **** ), about uneasy grandparents who embark on an ill-fated odyssey to find their grandson who had been taken from their midst without warning. Earlier, Zack Snyder’s “Man of Steel” (2013) coupled Costner and Lane as Jonathan and Martha Kent, the stepparents who took in the orphaned Kal-el, aka Superman and raised him as their own son. In “Let Him Go,” Costner plays retired county sheriff George Blackledge. Quietly living with his wife Margaret Blackledge (Diane Lane of “Streets of Fire”) and his son’s family, he operates a modest little horse ranch. When their only son dies in a freak riding accident, their daughter-in-law Lorna (Kayli Carter of “Bad Education”) remarries. Unfortunately, she makes the ghastly mistake of selecting an abusive spouse. Never are we told why Lorna exercised such appallingly bad judgment. Not only does this contemptible varmint treat her grandson like a punching bag in public, but he also smacks Lorna around without a qualm.
Initially, Margaret had planned to embark on this road trip alone with every intention of returning with their grandson. George refuses to let Margaret go by herself. Imagine George’s surprise when he discovers Margaret has cached his trusty old service revolver beneath the front seat! This unforgettable film chronicles their search and the adversaries with whom they clash after they track down their grandson. Too late the Blackledges realize they have underestimated their opponents. At first, melancholy hovers like a flock of vultures over “Let Him Go” as the Blackledges cruise along the lonely highways in their vintage station wagon to reunite with their grandson. After they locate the child in North Dakota, George and Margaret must contend with their stepson-in-law’s mother and her opposition to their presence. British actress Lesley Manville dominates this epic with her psychotic performance as murderous matriarch Blanche Weboy. Riding roughshod over her own sons as well as the Blackledges, Blanche paves the way for a finale as startling as it is tragic.
“Let Him Go” ladles out irony galore as we watch the Blackledge family at breakfast. James Blackledge (Ryan Bruce of “Sinsters”) dances around Lorna in the kitchen like a live wire, while she cooks breakfast with one hand and cradles their son with the other. Everybody appears jubilant that fine morning until later when James’ horse, which he had groomed earlier before he rode off on it, returns home with an empty saddle. Margaret is playing grandma with her grandson when she spots the empty saddle and rushes out to her husband. Catching up James’ horse, George swings astride and rides off. Eventually, he finds James sprawled lifelessly on his back near a stream with his sightless eyes staring into eternity. No sooner has James died than George and Margaret are seen dressing up in their finest to witness Lorna’s marriage to a lackluster looking fellow, Donnie Weboy (Will Brittain of “Kong: Skull Island”), in a stark marriage ceremony. Naturally, Lorna moves out of the Blackledge house, and Donnie and she rent a bare bones apartment in town.
In the grocery store parking lot, Margaret witnesses a heartwarming spectacle. Donnie, Lorna, and Lorna’s son Jimmy (newcomer Bram Hornung) are enjoying vanilla ice cream cones, until Jimmy drops his ice cream and Donnie smacks him. Lorna tries to intervene, and Donnie lashes out at her, too. Margaret ignores the car pulling up behind her as she watches with riveting eyes as this scene occurs. Later, when she tries to visit Lorna and Jimmy, their apartment house landlord informs her the family has packed up and left. Margaret is crushed when she learns they have cleared out without saying goodbye. She fears for both James and Lorna and then resolves to bring Jimmy back, despite whatever the consequences. Naturally, when George learns about his wife’s audacious plans, he ponders what part he must play. Stubbornly, he insists on doing the driving. They load up their Chevy station wagon with enough provisions so they can camp out in the wilderness rather than lodge in a hotel.
Along the way, a sympathetic lawman, Sheriff Nevelson (Bradley Stryker of “Bruce Almighty”), befriends them and puts them up for the night in his immaculate jail cells. Later, Nevelson suggests where they should launch their inquiries. When the Blackledges notify one of Donnie’s distant relatives that they’re searching for Donnie Weboy, the relative smiles and tells them the Weboys will find them before they find the Weboys. The Blackledges drive into North Dakota and meet Donnie’s closest relative, Bill Weboy (Jeffrey Donovan of “Honest Thief”), and the atmosphere turns ugly. Revealing anything else about what lies in wait for the unsuspecting Blackledges would spoil the slam-bang, combustible ending.
Margaret is prepared to break the law to retrieve little Jimmy. Moreover, she is perfectly content to sacrifice the life of her own husband to accomplish her goal. Eventually, the Blackledges persuade an apprehensive Lorna, who is being held against her will, to flee from the Weboys. Screen veterans that they are, Costner and Lane are believable as a seasoned married couple who accept each other’s shortcomings. Diane acts with her heart rather than her head, and this places George in jeopardy. Writer & director Thomas Bezucha milks the suspense for maximum effect when the Blackledges find themselves at the mercy of Blanche and her brawny boys. Clocking in just shy of two hours, “Let Him Go” qualifies as a brooding melodrama that takes some darkly sinister turns during its second half. Comic relief is conspicuously absent as the pressure cooker tension boils over and all Hades erupts in the final quarter hour. Lenser Guy Godfree’s long shots of the mountainous Montana and North Dakota terrain are as spectacular as the gloomy Rembrandt lighting in the Weboy mansion when the two families clash. Not for a moment will “Let Him Go” let you go.